The US State Department said on Thursday that it supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, as tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban escalate following a new round of cross-border strikes.
“The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists,” the State Department said, according to Reuters, adding that Washington “supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.”
The comments come days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others wounded in the strikes, with women and children among the casualties.
Pakistan has said the operation targeted hideouts belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Pakistani officials said 25 members of the groups were killed, an account that differs sharply from that of the Taliban and the UN.
Taliban said Pakistan had bombed civilian homes and that their forces later carried out strikes against what they described as joint centers used by ISIS and other hostile elements in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
Pakistan subsequently confirmed that four drones had entered its airspace from Afghanistan but said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed them before they reached their targets. The Pakistani military warned the Taliban against further attacks.
The latest escalation follows months of deteriorating relations and intermittent fighting between the two neighbors. In February, Pakistan and Taliban forces fought their most serious clashes in years.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing TTP fighters to operate from Afghan territory and plan attacks across the border. The Taliban reject the allegation, saying they do not allow Afghan territory to be used against other countries and arguing that Pakistan’s militant violence is an internal security problem.
The dispute has increasingly spilled into direct military confrontation. Pakistani forces have carried out repeated strikes inside Afghanistan, while Taliban and Pakistani forces have exchanged fire along their disputed frontier.
Earlier in June, Pakistan also carried out airstrikes in Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces. UNAMA said 13 civilians were killed in those attacks. Pakistan said the strikes followed a series of militant attacks inside the country, including assaults on security forces in North Waziristan, Bannu and other areas.
Days later, the Taliban claimed that they had struck ISIS targets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, a rare public assertion of military action inside Pakistan.
The latest violence has drawn international calls for restraint and the protection of civilians. The UN has urged both sides to resolve their disputes through diplomacy and comply with international humanitarian law.
The United States’ statement, however, placed particular emphasis on Pakistan’s security concerns and the impact of militant attacks on the country.
Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the US, and ties between Washington and Islamabad have improved since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Reuters reported. Pakistan has also played a mediating role in efforts related to the US-Israeli war with Iran.
